ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 70th day of 2026 and the 81st day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1861, delegates from seven states adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.

In 1888, the "Great Blizzard of '88" struck the Northeastern United States, killing more than 400 people.

In 2004, over 190 people were killed when terrorist bombs exploded on rush-hour commuter trains in Madrid.

In 2011, a magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck Japan, killing nearly 16,000 people and causing meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

In 2020, the World Health Organization officially announced the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Lawrence Welk (1903-1992), bandleader; Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990), civil rights leader; Rupert Murdoch (1931- ), business leader; Sam Donaldson (1934- ), TV journalist; Douglas Adams (1952-2001), author; Peter Berg (1964- ), actor/filmmaker; Terrence Howard (1969- ), actor; Johnny Knoxville (1971- ), actor; Mark Rober (1980- ), YouTube personality; Anthony Davis (1993- ), basketball player.

TODAY'S FACT: According to Forbes, News Corp. Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch's net worth was $23.4 billion as of late February 2025.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1979, Randy Holt of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings was penalized nine times for a record total of 67 minutes.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands." -- Douglas Adams, "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency"

TODAY'S NUMBER: $50 billion -- aid extended to nearly 40 countries in the form of funds and military goods under the Lend-Lease Act, which was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on this day in 1941.

TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter moon (March 11).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 69th day of 2026 and the 80th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell spoke the first intelligible words transmitted over a telephone: "Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you."

In 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1971, the U.S. Senate passed the 26th Amendment, which would lower the minimum voting age to 18.

In 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed, leading to the grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft worldwide days later.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), violinist/composer; Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987), playwright/politician; Chuck Norris (1940- ), actor; Jim Valvano (1946-1993), basketball coach; Sharon Stone (1958- ), actress; Rick Rubin (1963- ), record producer; Jon Hamm (1971- ), actor; Matt Kenseth (1972- ), race car driver; Timbaland (1972- ), rapper/producer; Robin Thicke (1977- ), singer-songwriter; Carrie Underwood (1983- ), singer-songwriter/actress; Olivia Wilde (1984- ), actress; Ego Nwodim (1988- ), actress/comedian; Bad Bunny (1994- ), rapper/singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: From 1875 through 1893, the Bell Telephone Company faced 587 unsuccessful court challenges to its patents, including five decided by the Supreme Court.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, retired basketball superstar Michael Jordan announced his retirement from baseball after a single season in the minor leagues. Jordan played his first comeback game with the NBA's Chicago Bulls eight days later.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Instagram has become a great tool for assessing whether or not you want to see a certain person in real life." -- Ego Nwodim

TODAY'S NUMBER: 156.3 million -- Americans who voted in the 2024 presidential election.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (March 3) and last quarter moon (March 11).

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 68th day of 2026 and the 79th day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1847, the first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history was launched in the Mexican seaport of Veracruz.

In 1945, 334 B-29 bombers began Operation Meetinghouse, a firebombing campaign of the city of Tokyo that was the deadliest air raid of World War II.

In 1959, Mattel introduced the Barbie doll at the American Toy Fair in New York City.

In 2004, a Virginia court sentenced the Washington, D.C.-area "Beltway Sniper" John Allen Muhammad to death.

In 2011, the space shuttle Discovery completed its 39th and final flight.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Samuel Barber (1910-1981), composer; Mickey Spillane (1918-2006), author; Walter Kohn (1923-2016), physicist/Nobel Prize winner; Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), cosmonaut/first person in space; Raul Julia (1940-1994), actor; Bobby Fischer (1943-2008), chess grandmaster; Charles Gibson (1943- ), TV journalist; Juliette Binoche (1964- ), actress; Oscar Isaac (1979- ), actor; Clint Dempsey (1983- ), soccer player; Brittany Snow (1986- ), actress; Bow Wow (1987- ), actor/rapper; Suga (1993- ), rapper/songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: The United States' domestic toy market was estimated at $30 billion in 2025.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, league owners unanimously approved the addition of major league baseball expansion franchises in Phoenix and Tampa, Florida.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Authors want their names down in history; I want to keep the smoke coming out of the chimney." -- Mickey Spillane

TODAY'S NUMBER: 148,221,675 -- miles flown by the space shuttle Discovery during its 26 years of operation, the equivalent of 300 round trips to the moon.

TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (March 3) and last quarter moon (March 11).